The great River Nile is a generous gift of nature to the land of Egypt and North Africa. It serves as an appropriate route for transport of goods as well as for travelling in Egypt. Therefore, boat-building became important for travel, and boats were constructed in various models each to serve a specific purpose.
Ancient Boats Of North Africa
Primarily boats were made for the purpose of transportation, fishing and leisure activities. Ancient Egyptian boats can also be seen portrayed in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and they also played an important role in Egyptian religion and mythology.
A lot of remains of ancient Egyptian boats were found in Abydos and Tarkhan, as archaeologists could not find any in the ancient Kingdom of Egypt. The King Khufu’s ship proves to depict a contemporary model much like the boat of ancient Egypt. It is a perfect portrayal of the ships designed in the ancient Egyptian period.
Construction of Ancient Egyptian Boats
Construction styles of the boats from the earliest dynasty were found in numerous areas of Abydos. Studies of these remains show that the boats were constructed with a good plan. Having a width of 3 meters, a length of 25 meters and a depth no more than 60 centimeters, they had enough place for about 30 people to row. The stern of the boat, as well as the prow had a typical tapering effect through the length of the boat. Archaeological studies obviously show that remarkable paintings were done on the surface of the boats for decoration.
Wood used for building the boat structure happened to decay as the years passed, and therefore a deeper examination of type of wood was not possible. Archaeologists believe that during the earliest dynasty of the Egyptian kingdom, wood from the Cedar tree was used to construct boats.
The technical ways of construction have also been determined by archaeologists. Trees were cut and then wooden planks were made. These were lashed and smoothed by vigorous scrubbing and then a mortise was utilized to complete the process. After the structure was erected, the tiny seams were sealed by using several reeds. This prevented water from entering the boats. If the covering of the boat was removed, it can be observed that the shape is not perfect, as they did not use any supportive frame as in today’s boats.
Ancient Boats in Hieroglyphics
Ships and boats of the ancient Egyptian period are drawn in their popular script known as hieroglyphics. A lot of such paintings and drawings adorn the walls and even tombs especially in Medinet Habu and also in Deir el Bahri. Both these places are famous on account of such scripts showing Egyptian boats and ships.
It is through these hieroglyphics that historians have been able to analyze the boat making tradition in ancient Egypt a lot more than the actual remains which have been discovered. Nevertheless historians have very little information about how the ships were constructed in the new Kingdom.
Boat building and ship building found favor amidst the state authorities also. Pharaoh snerfu and a few others helped develop this skill so that the navy of Egypt became competent. Aside from this, recreation and fishing also enhanced boat building.
Ancient Boats Of North Africa. About the author: Ancient Egyptian Remedies are studied by Egyptologists to learn more about our predecessors. For more reading about a comparable subject select the link to Ancient Egyptian Symbols.
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